About us
Posey & Perkins
As one of the first lawyers in Oklahoma City to open a firm in the Oklahoma City Metro area (rather than downtown, so he could be more accessible to his clients), Jim Posey always considered what was best for his clients and cared about people. His servant’s heart and high standards guide our practice today.
Jim began his Professional Association with Shelly Perkins in 2021, who is now continuing his practice while honoring the example he set throughout his career.
At Posey and Perkins, we strive to effectively communicate with our clients so they stay fully informed, calming any anxieties as we help them navigate through stressful situations.
Oklahoma
Attorneys
James N. Posey (1934-2024)
James Posey began helping people plan their estates after opening his law office in Bethany, Oklahoma, on August 1, 1957. To better serve his clients, he limited his practice to estate planning, trust administration, probates, real estate law, and forming and servicing small business entities. He was one of the pioneers in the Oklahoma City area to utilize the revocable living trust.
In 1981, he was instrumental in obtaining the approval of the Oklahoma and Canadian County Assessors to allow clients to continue to receive their homestead exemption after transferring their homes into their trusts. He spoke extensively on trusts and estate planning to civic clubs, senior citizens groups, retired state and federal employees, churches, men’s and women’s clubs, and groups sponsored by local and national charities, banks, and businesses. He was a member of the Oklahoma City Estate Planning Council and the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association.
Mr. Posey served both his community and profession in numerous capacities. These included roles as Vice-President and member of the Executive Committee of the Governing Board of Deaconess Hospital; Vice-Chairman of the Solo Practice Committee of the American Bar Association; President of the Bethany Kiwanis Club, Southern Nazarene University Alumni Association, Social Betterment Council of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma City Society of Title Attorneys; and State President of Sooner Alcohol Narcotic Education, Inc.
He was also a member of the Oklahoma City Estate Planning Council, the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law and the Law Practice Management Sections of the American Bar Association, the Board of Directors of Lamb’s Theater in New York City, and Bethany First Church of the Nazarene. In addition, Mr. Posey coauthored a college textbook on business law. He served as a special instructor on probate law and procedure for the legal assistant program at the University of Oklahoma College of Law and as an adjunct professor of business law at Southern Nazarene University.
Born in Wellington, Texas, Mr. Posey received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Nazarene University in 1955 and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1957. He was licensed to practice before the District Courts of Oklahoma, the United States 10th Circuit Court, the United States Tax Court, and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Posey’s first wife, Shirley, passed away after 55 years of marriage. He married Donetta Brown in 2012 and had four step-children, seven step-grandchildren, and three step-great-grandchildren.
On June 1, 2021, Mr. Posey formed a Professional Association with attorney Shelly A. Perkins. This association laid the groundwork for the continuation of the dedicated service his clients had come to expect. Following Mr. Posey’s passing in June of 2024, Ms. Perkins has carried on the traditions set by Mr. Posey as she honors the example and high standards he established throughout his distinguished career.
Shelly A. Perkins
Shelly Perkins concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, probates, guardianships, and estate and trust administration. Shelly combines her organizational skills with her passion for serving others to assist individuals and families in preparing their estate plans, administering their trusts and estates, and advising them through the probate process. Shelly also has broad experience in non-profit law and effectively guides clients during all stages of the organization’s existence. Ms. Perkins also forms business entities and advises small business owners on general corporate matters.
On June 1, 2021, Ms. Perkins formed her own law firm, Shelly A. Perkins, PLLC, and created a Professional Association with attorney James N. Posey, where she plans to have a long career serving their clients and continuing the example set by Mr. Posey. Prior to joining Mr. Posey, Ms. Perkins was with Resolution Legal Group for almost four years after she served as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General where she prepared supervisory antitrust opinions for Oklahoma agencies, boards, and commissions. Until that time, Shelly managed the nonprofit team and worked in the areas of estate planning and business transactions at DeBee Gilchrist, now DeBee Clark Weber, where she first started working as an intern while in law school. Ms. Perkins also previously served as Trust Officer and Assistant General Counsel at Legacy Bank.
Before embarking on her legal career, Shelly enjoyed more than a decade-long career in politics. Ms. Perkins worked for Congressman J.C. Watts, Jr. for six years in both his Norman, Oklahoma and Washington, D.C. congressional offices and in several capacities on his 1998 and 2000 campaigns. Shelly ran Jeff Cloud’s statewide campaign for Corporation Commissioner in 2002 and subsequently served as Cloud’s Administrative Aide at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Ms. Perkins served as Executive Director for a non- profit, issue advocacy organization and also managed, consulted, and fundraised for numerous federal, state, and legislative candidates and political action committees from 2005 to 2009.
Ms. Perkins was born and raised in Oklahoma. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Affairs and Administration and earned her Juris Doctorate in December 2007 from Oklahoma City University School of Law. Her article entitled, “Standards of Liability for Teacher-Student and Peer Sexual Harassment Claims in the Tenth Circuit,” was published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal in October 2007. Ms. Perkins is licensed to practice before the District Courts of Oklahoma, United States Tax Court, United States Bankruptcy Court, and United States District Courts for the Western and Northern Districts of Oklahoma. Shelly is a member of the Oklahoma and Oklahoma County Bar Associations and is a member of the Business & Corporate Law; Family Law; General Practice/Solo and Small Firm; Estate Planning, Probate and Trust; and Law Office Management and Technology Sections of the Oklahoma Bar Association. Shelly is on the Board of Trustees for the Eastern Oklahoma County Resource Center, a non- profit organization ministering to the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of individuals needing assistance in eastern Oklahoma County, which she helped to create.
Shelly and her husband, Rusty, are “high school sweethearts” and live in Choctaw with their two children, Savannah and Rhett. Shelly is a spirited Oklahoma Sooners football, Baker Mayfield, and Oklahoma City Thunder fan and enjoys scrapbooking with her friends, reading by a pool or beach, and going to concerts with her family and friends.